*** Big Fat Weight Loss Thread ***

[AndyCr15]

If there's already a fairly generic thread about this, please link it and I'll close this one

Last March I decided at 302lbs (21st 8 / 137kg and about 36% body fat) I was just far too heavy. I'm generally quite big at 6'3 and most people always said I never looked fat, but I saw one (not very flattering) video of me that made me realise my size was not acceptable.

The short version is I got my bike out the next day and started cycling. I installed MyFitnessPal and cut calories to a pretty extreme 1,700 and weight started dropping of right away. For 6 months I lost a stone a month and by September I was under 16st. I should add, it was not just about cutting calories, but also eating right. More fruit and veg, less biscuits and crisps etc.

Calories gradually increased through that time and I'm now eating 2,750 with various 'cheat days' where I'm sure they go up over 4,000 calories with ease and I'm 215lbs (15st 5 / 97½kg) this morning with about 20½% body fat.

My goal for this year is 210lbs (15st / 95kg) which I might lower as it looks like I'll get there quite soon, having started at 16st on Jan 1st (I ate a lot over Xmas and New Year!).

So, what's your story? What are your goals? How are you getting there?


LINKS

DIET & FOOD

Huel Thread

One Meal A Day Thread

EXERCISE

Running Thread

Road Cycling Thread

Gym Thread

 

[AndyCr15]

ensuring sure I did 10k steps a day, every day. Since then, I have achieved this, only failing on 2 days when I was ill (my birthday and the following day!)

That's great to keep it up that well. It's funny what motivates you sometimes. I was on a streak of hitting 10K steps (I often don't) and one day I went for a 20 minute walk, just to hit my target. I don't think I've ever just gone out for a walk for the sake of it before...

For me, Strava challenges work really well. For example, do two 30 minute sessions a week to start the year. There was one last year about only having two days off a week for 4 weeks and it really made me go out and ride a few times when I probably wouldn't have otherwise. Zwift do things too where you have to ride in events to unlock new kit. I found myself 'Riding London' in December and clocked up loads of miles I wouldn't normally have done.

**EDIT** What do you guys do meal-wise? I tend to now stick to breakfast, lunch, dinner and then around 300 calories before bed, to get me through the night. At present I'm aiming at 2,750 calories a day, but honestly, without snacking it's sometimes hard to get this many calories in!

Also, I've switched back to caffeinated coffee as there are some benefits to it with training and weight loss. I have a thread here about it.

 

[AndyCr15]

Wow, one meal every 48 hours sounds crazy to me! Does it take some getting used to? I feel like I wouldn't sleep for the hunger pangs? I also worry I'd have no energy (mind you, I'm jogging/cycling/lifting almost every day, which I guess wouldn't mix well with OMAD)

Btw, I heard about this diet rating study here from the Nutrition Diva Podcast. Quite interesting. Keto doesn't come out of it well.

 

[AndyCr15]

Wow, that's some great work. Would be interesting to hear what sort of things you've done to achieve it.

 

[AndyCr15]

I always thought squash was considered quite dangerous/bad for knees? The pressure you put through them changing direction so quick etc? Having said that, exercising is the important thing and if you can do it while having fun, you're sorted!

Literally just tried on my new suit for work. In March it was a 50" chest with 44" waist. This one is 44" Slim Fit and 36" Slim Fit! (It's not the first at this size, but does make me smile when I think how far I've come! )

 

[AndyCr15]

Clearly the Keto Diet gets good results, there's lots of people on here having success with it, I just can't see it as being a good idea? There seems to be mixed reaction on the internet about it, with some suggesting it's a short term solution and should only be for those very overweight? I personally don't like the idea of diets that are strict and cut things out. I know that sounds silly as I've cut lots of things out, but this morning for example, I've just had a wholemeal bagel instead of my usual porridge. I've logged it. I know how many calories it was (about twice that of the porridge) and I'll just factor that into today's plan.

I have found recently I struggle the most in the evening. Yesterday I was working late, I woke about 7:30am, cycled (indoors) at 9am and wasn't even all that hungry but had porridge about 10. Jacket potato for lunch, Huel for dinner with various protein bars and yogurts for desserts, but it's the evening I keep ending up so hungry I had a bowl of cereal, apple. kiwi AND biscuit bar, all before bed. I then woke around 3am really hungry, couldn't sleep so had a protein bar and it got me to sleep. One of my resolutions was to eat less after 7pm... but that's the point I find hardest

 

[AndyCr15]

Yeah, impressive video. Love when people make their journey public and inspire others, which he clearly has.

 

[AndyCr15]

Exactly. That's all is needed How are you getting on? Have you just started, or been doing it for some time?

 

[AndyCr15]

Seems like my increase in Amsterdam was just water weight or some kind of weird anomoly as weighed myself this morning and i'm back down to where i'd expect to be (and then some) at 101.5 kg

Sunday night is my cheat night. I eat a huge kebab, popcorn chicken, sometimes halloumi cheese and then often follow up with various desserts and cakes. I know to not bother weighing myself for a couple of days as it's a pretty false reading. By Wednesday I'm usually back to where I was before the 'pig out'. A couple of times over Xmas and January I've had a few consecutive days of eating plenty in the evening. Again, give it a few days and it comes back to the norm.

Mind you, it's odd, I was at my lowest (15st 2.6) on Friday and had two really good days of low calories and good exercise (I'm even cycling in to work now. It's only 2 miles, but it all helps, right?) and I was excited to weigh in on Saturday and Sunday morning, expecting to push into new territory for weight... but came in at 15st 2.9 and then 15st 2.6 again... I was half tempted to have a good day on Sunday too, as I expect I would weight in down a couple more pounds at some point. Still, no rush. I'll wait until Wednesday again now. I do have to keep reminding myself I can afford that extra biscuit now and then. I set 15st as my target this year as I started at 16st on Jan 1st... I'm almost already there!

I'm still doing 10k steps a day. 169/171 days completed for this since starting, (still annoys me the two days I couldn't complete as I was ill!).

Ha ha, yeah, those two days would annoy me too! How long is the streak now though? Maybe quote that instead? 10k steps is such a simple yet effective target, but I think so good for those that might not be very active generally.

 

[AndyCr15]

Streaks and that kind of thing (Zwift challenges etc) are really good motivators to me, I guess as I'm so competitive.

Yeah, still counting cals... MyFitnessPal streak is 293 days logging in Target right now is 2,740 and most days I'm coming in under that. Again, I keep reminding myself it's fine to go up to 3,000 or so. Almost every day I'm burning 400 to 1,100 calories, with the occasional 1,500 if I go to the gym in the morning and then ride in the afternoon (last Thursday for example. Maybe today, but I think rain is forecast...in fact I see some spots on my window now! ) The commute is good as this adds an extra 300 calories burnt everyday for doing almost nothing.

 

[AndyCr15]

That nets me 700 Cals on my phone over and above what I burn the rest of the time inc resting (I know these figures due to wearing the FitBit 23hrs per day outside of showering/charging it esp in the first few weeks when it works you out).

Bear in mind, I assume most calculators take this into account when they ask how active you are. If I tell MyFitnessPal I'm very inactive it tells me to eat 2,250 cals a day. As I increase my activity it moves up over 3,000 cals. Obviously I shouldn't tell it I'm active, it tells me eat 3,000 and then I take credit for walking about at work for 7,000 steps as they are already in that calculation... if that makes sense?

 

[AndyCr15]

the weight is starting to make knees ache so It's got to go

This has been one of the best benefits I probably wouldn't have believed if you'd told me before I lost all the weight, my knee and my back feel so much better. I can tell there are still issues with both, but they generally give me so much less problems now.

 

[AndyCr15]

I generally weight myself everyday these days. As we know, weight can fluctuate 2 or 3 lbs based on various things, so when weighing weekly you might be a couple up one week and a couple down the next when really your weight hasn't changed... But looks like a 4lb swing... If that makes sense?

By jumping on everyday I can see the trend, as mentioned above. Mind you, if I have a bad cheat evening the night before, I don't bother for a day or two as it's a little meaningless at that point.

 

[AndyCr15]

Also does everyone just have regular scales or smart scales?

I have the Withings scales, to go with their sleep mat and blood pressure monitor. It all syncs into the one account and gives me pretty graphs and such

 

[AndyCr15]

Well, so far since the 3rd of Feb I've gone from 18st 5lbs to 17st 6lbs as of this morning.

Wow, that's huge in only a couple of weeks! Well done!

I weighed in at 15st 2 the last two mornings, so only 2 lbs of my most recent target now. March 10th will mark a year since I started, so part of me wonders about hitting it real hard to get to 14st 8 which would make it 7 stone lost in total.

Another part of me says I don't really need to lose any more now and I should either start eating more or exercising a little less. I think I need to balance it a little as today I am feeling quite low on energy and my legs ache a little. Maybe I'll allow myself a couple of days off.

**EDIT** I also realised this morning I could go down another notch on my belt... to the last hole... again! I think this is already the second belt I've had to buy. I think I'll need a third!

 

[AndyCr15]

I take it as you've been hitting targets you've moved the goalposts as you was on a roll?

Yeah, basically. Initially, from 21st 8 I wanted to get to 19st and I remember thinking how hard that would be... but actually it was so easy, I just kept moving the target down a stone at a time, expecting it to slow up... but it didn't slow up until I got under 16st!

I feel I should be in calorie deficit

I would suggest track your calories properly and to state the obvious, don't cheat it I think it can be surprising how quickly they all add up. I personally would suggest this over OMAD as to me OMAD sounds pretty extreme and hard to stick to in the long term.

I did notice in another thread you and No1Newts were talking about starting a britbowl thread or something along those lines?

Yeah, really need to get this thread going!

If i remember correctly, doesn't alcohol slow down your metabolism for around 12-24 after consuming?

I'd heard it stops your liver from helping with burning fat or 24 hours. How true that is, I can't say and also how big an effect your liver has on burning fat, I don't know. I would say, try not drinking anything alcoholic for a week or two and see if they helps.

To me the calorie deficit clearly works and if you're not losing weight, you're probably not actually in a deficit.

 

[AndyCr15]

I used to play for King's Lynn Patriots but only managed a few games as my knees were fragile enough and couldn't afford any time off work. I played DE and occasionally tackle.

The thread is live Come join some discussion.

 

[AndyCr15]

I thought this was quite amusing. I've reached the last (first?) whole on my belt... again... so went back to Amazon to order another smaller one. No need for scales to see my weight loss progress...

Out of interest, how often do people weigh themselves?

I guess out of interest I've weighed myself at different points through this morning...

7am - Woke up, pee'd and weighed in at 15st 2.5lbs
Ate breakfast (porridge and banana), erm, emptied out....
8am - weighed in at 15st 3.2
9am - Parkrun (4km cycle there too)
10am - 40 minutes lifting in the gym
11am - Weighed in at 14st 13.1lbs

Wow. From 8am to 11am I lost 4lbs!

 

[AndyCr15]

Nice, thanks. International shipping was only $6 and Honey found me a 20% off code, so I've ordered a couple. Come out as about £23 each, which isn't too bad. I'll send this Amazon one back

 

[AndyCr15]

Had what I would call my first official* weigh in under 15 stone yesterday morning, so quite pleased with that. Body fat seems firmly placed under 20% now too.

I am snacking more than usual in the evening at the moment though, which was one of my resolutions to cut down on. Yesterday I actually got to 3,800 calories, which I hardly ever do. (Mind you, with work, my cycle commute and 30 minutes brisk walking after work I burnt over 800 calories.)

At the same time, I'm still losing weight when I'm not massively trying to. I'm almost waiting for cycling weather again now before I perhaps have another push at it.

*Out of bed in the morning, straight onto the scales. I've weighed in (as I think I posted) below 15st before, but it was after loads of exercise.